Author: Abimbola Ogunnaike

Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited(BSIL), a security risk management and intelligence consulting company, has disclosed that at least 971 Nigerians were abducted across the country in October 2024. The revelation is coming amid the emergence of a new terror group, ‘Lakurawa’ in the northwestern part of the country. The data is contained in the ‘October 2024 Nigeria Security Report’ by the security outfit made available to an online medium on Tuesday, 12 November, 2024. The report said there’s a deterioration of security metrics of incidents, abductions and fatalities in the country, warning that the rising numbers suggested that 2024 was…

The Edo State Controller of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Martins Moye, has raised the alarm over the increasing number of irregular migrants entering Nigeria. Moye, who raised the alarm at the 2024 Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, enlightenment campaign against irregular migration in Benin, Edo State capital, underscored the need for public awareness to curb irregular migration. A facilitator from NIS headquarters in Abuja, David Amanahu, highlighted Edo State’s historical role in irregular migration. According to him, due to recent efforts by the Edo State Command, the state has improved in the national ranking on irregular migration. “The positive news is that…

The Nigerian Government has vowed to kick the Lukarawas terror group out of Nigeria. The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, made the vow at the Comptroller General of Customs’ Conference on Wednesday, 13 November, 2024 in Abuja. “This Lukarawas terror group, or whatever it is called, is making a mistake. “Nobody ever dares Tinubu and wins. They have come at the wrong time. Nobody has ever defeated Tinubu. We will kick you out of Nigeria,” Ribadu said. He added that the Nigerian government had made gains against insecurity as hundreds of bandits have been killed in the last months. Recall…

The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, has disclosed strategies the Federal Government would employ to defeat the terror group, Lakurawa. Badaru said with the deployment of troops and provision of additional equipment, the Nigerian government would overrun the Lakurawa. Lakurawa has been responsible for the recent attacks and killings in Sokoto and Kebbi states. Thegazellenews.com recalls that attacks by the terror group led to the death of 15 people while about 100 cattle were rustled in Mera, Augie Local Government Area of Kebbi State. However, the Minister said the Federal Government has already mapped out its strategies to defeat…

A coordinated midnight raid operation by operatives of the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Enforcement Unit popularly known as Taskforce has led to the arrest of 94 criminal suspects. The sting operation as gathered by thegazellenews.com was led by the Chairman of the agency CSP Akerele Adetayo. The raid took place between midnight and early hours of Wednesday, 13 November, 2024. It was further gathered that, the exercise followed the receipt of credible reports from concerned citizens on the nefarious activities of criminal elements and the consequential public nuisance and menace around the axis. A locally fabricated short gun,…

Manchester City midfielder, Rodri, has said he won the 2024 Ballon d’Or because of his consistency. The Spaniard was named winner ahead of Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior, who was widely expected to take the prize home. In an interview with COPE, Rodri claimed consistency is the most difficult thing in football Manchester City midfielder, Rodri, has said he won the 2024 Ballon d’Or because of his consistency. The Spaniard was named winner ahead of Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior, who was widely expected to take the prize home. In an interview with COPE, Rodri claimed consistency is the most difficult thing…

American television host, Oprah Winfrey has denied reports that she was paid $1 million to campaign for the Democratic Party’s candidate in the just-concluded US presidential election, Kamala Harris. Washington Examiner had claimed the TV personality’s company, Harpo Productions, received a paycheck to host a celebrity town hall on behalf of Harris in September. Kamala Harris Reacting, the talk show legend made it clear that she didn’t accept a dime to campaign for the Democratic nominee. “Not true. I was paid nothing, ever,” TMZ quoted Oprah as saying. Oprah refused to talk about the election results, which saw the Republican…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on chieftains and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State to close ranks and work together in order to reclaim the state in 2027. He noted that the state is too important to be missing among the progressive fold. Tinubu, who was represented by the Minister of Power, Mr. Adebayo Adelabu, made this assertion during the maiden edition of Lam Adesina annual lecture held in Ibadan, the state capital on Monday, 11 November, 2024. The event was attended by former Governors of Ekiti State, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo and Dr Kayode Fayemi;…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company limited (NNPCL), has disclosed that it’s a proud part-owner of the Dangote Refinery. The NNPCL’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari made this disclosure at a conference hosted by the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists in Lagos on Monday, 11 November, 2024. Following the commencement of the refinery, Aliko Dangote had accused NNPCL and some cabals in the oil sector of trying to sabotage its operations. However, Kyari dismissed the claims that NNPCL was undermining the operations of the Dangote refinery. He said: “The point is very far from it and I’m going to speak…

Shell will continue to power progress in the drive for energy security in Nigeria through its businesses in the Upstream, Midstream and Downstream and Renewables sectors, Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria and Managing Director, The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC,) Osagie Okunbor said yesterday in Lagos. In remarks delivered on his behalf by Exploration Manager Gogo Eneyok at the opening of the 42nd Annual International Conference and Exhibition of the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE,) Okunbor said the range of the Shell businesses were integrated across the energy value chain and working hard to address the…

L Anthony Joshua has surpassed the $200 million mark in career earnings, making him one of boxing’s highest earners, surpassing heavyweight rival Tyson Fury and rising star Gervonta Davis, The PUNCH reports. The former two-time heavyweight champion earned $75 million from fights in 2024 alone, placing him second only to Canelo Alvarez in yearly earnings. The Mexican champion matched Joshua’s fight purse but edged him in off-field earnings by $2 million. Fury, 36, collected $50 million in 2024, taking his career earnings to $150 million, significantly behind Joshua’s impressive haul. Meanwhile, Davis, 30, has accumulated $50 million since his professional debut, with…

No fewer than N19.43 billion was spent on the maintenance and operations of the Presidential Air Fleet from July 2023 to September 2024, The PUNCH learnt. Checks by our correspondent on GovSpend, a civic tech platform that tracks and analyses the Federal Government’s spending, showed that for 2024, the payouts amounted to N13.55 billion, representing 66 per cent of the allocations for the fleet in the 2024 fiscal year. Most disbursements were labelled ‘Forex Transit Funds,’ typically funds allocated for foreign exchange requirements to facilitate international transactions and engagements. In the context of the Presidential Air Fleet, such funds are…

The management of Dangote Refinery is set to meet with officials of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria(PETROAN) to discuss direct petrol supply arrangements. This development comes just a day after the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) announced it had reached an agreement with Dangote Refinery to purchase petrol directly, bypassing intermediaries. PETROAN Publicity Secretary, Joseph Obele, told an online on Tuesday, 12 November, 2024 that the refinery had already sent an email to PETROAN President, Dr. Billy Harry, proposing a business meeting in the coming days. According to Obele, Dr. Harry has formed a…

The Government of Equatorial Guinea has filed a lawsuit against the former Director General of the country’s National Financial Investigation Agency, Baltasar Engonga, for alleged misconduct in connection with a sex tape scandal. The government stated that the actions of the ex-anti-graft agency chief “violate the ethical and moral values of noble Equatorial Guinean society.” Through the Minister of Information, Press, and Culture, Jerónimo Osa Osa, the government made this known over the weekend. In a public address covered by local media platform Ahora EG, the Minister of Information announced that the Equatorial Guinean Government, through the State Attorney General’s…

The Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, has assured Nigeria of support in its economic reform programmes. The assurance came when the Crown Prince and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu met on Monday in Riyadh on the sidelines of the joint Arab-Islamic Summit. The two leaders explored potential areas for cooperation, particularly oil and gas, agriculture, infrastructure and the constitution of the Saudi-Nigeria Business Council. Nigeria wants an agreement with the Saudi government over a proposed $5 billion bilateral trade facility between the two countries. The Saudi Agricultural and Livestock…

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and Butane Energy Limited on Friday recorded a significant milestone in their collective drive to make liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) a widely accessible, cleaner, and more cost-effective fuel option for cooking in the country, with the commissioning of a 180-metric-tonne LPG Filling Plant in Kaduna, Kaduna State. The Filling Plant, the second after the commissioning of another 100MT LPG Storage and Bottling Plant in Kabukawa Layout, Katsina, Katsina State, in 2021, is part of a joint venture to establish five of such facilities in Northern Nigeria with a combined storage capacity of…

As parts of measures to reduce hunger in Nigeria, FoodClique Support Initiative, a non- profit charity organization, has disclosed that it has been able to provide over 13 million meals to vulnerable and the less privilege in the country. The Chief Executive Officer of the Organisation, Prince Ibrahim Onilegbale made this disclosure during a press conference held in Lagos on Monday, 11 November, 2024. “In total we have been able to provide over 13 million meals, in which 4,972, 810 are perishable while 8,511,640 are non-perishables. The analysis/breakdown of the intervention by Foodclique goes thus: Age bracket: Children 22%, Teen…

The Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion on Tuesday, 12 November, 2024 rejected the Church of England’s approval of same-sex marriage. The Primate of the Anglican Church, Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba, disclosed this during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Divine Commonwealth Conference (DIVCCON 2024) in Abuja. Ndukuba, however, noted that the difference in opinion does not compromise the relationship between the Church of Nigeria and the Church of England. “The Church of England has strayed from its Christian principles. They have not only voted to endorse same-sex marriage but have also introduced liturgy celebrating this rebellion against God,” he said.…

The newly sworn-in Governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo, is set to probe the administration of his predecessor, Godwin Obaseki. Okpebholo announced Tuesday, 12 November, 2024 that he will set up a panel of inquiry to investigate the past administration’s refusal to inaugurate 14 elected lawmakers of the State House of Assembly in 2019. Thegazellenews.com recalls that the 14 lawmakers elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 7th Assembly were denied inauguration during Obaseki’s administration. Okpebholo announced the planned probe in his inaugural speech shortly after taking the oath of office as the governor of…

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby has resigned from his exalted position on Tuesday, 12 November, 2024 Thegazellenews.com recalls that this latest development comes after the independent Makin review discovered that the Church of England covered up sexual abuse by a barrister. Following calls for his resignation, Welby said the report “exposed the long-maintained conspiracy of silence about the heinous abuses of John Smyth”. According to Welby, he believed wrongly that an appropriate resolution would follow” when he was told in 2013 that Smyth had been reported to the police. In a statement, Welby said: ‘Having sought the gracious permission…